Storing and transporting flexible sheets

ABSTRACT

A container for a stack of newspapers includes bottom, side, and back walls and a substantially open front to facilitate stacking newspapers in the container, and inspecting the stack for non-paper contaminants. A pair of rotatable wheels on the bottom of the container, and a base on the bottom of the container are adapted to rest on a horizontal supporting surface such as a floor. A pair of inwardly extending lips on the front of the container restrain the stack of papers when the container is tilted and rolled from one location to another. The container bottom slopes downwardly away from the open front of the container, and the back of the container slopes upwardly away from the open front to promote forming a stack which is slightly inclined to vertical when the container rests on the horizontal surface. External means on the container facilitate picking up the container and dumping the stack of papers in a collection truck.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] This invention relates to containers for storing and transportinga stack of paper sheets to facilitate recycling the paper.

[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0006] For many years used newspapers and the like have been collectedand recycled to conserve resources, and to reduce the amount of materialincinerated or sent to landfills. However, large quantities of wastepaper still are not recycled because the paper cannot be collectedefficiently and economically. For example, various types of containershave been provided for the accumulation of industrial, commercial andresidential waste paper. These containers either have opaque walls,which conceal the contents, or are so small that only small amounts ofpaper can be stored in them. In the first instance, some people whodiscard recyclable paper often mix non-paper contaminants, such as glassor plastic containers, waste food, metal cans, and other garbage, withthe paper sheets. This is unacceptable to those in the business ofrecycling paper, and discourages collection of waste paper. In thesecond instance, only relatively small amounts of waste paper can bestored in the small containers. This makes pickup of the accumulatedpaper inordinately time-consuming and uneconomical.

[0007] Because of the above shortcomings, a large amount of availablewaste paper is never recovered for recycling.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] This invention provides containers in which stacks of relativelylarge amounts of waste paper, such as newspaper, can be compactlystored, and easily inspected by a collector of the paper to ascertainthat the stack is not contaminated with non-paper refuse. Moreover, thecontainers of this invention make it easy to move a collected stack oflarge amounts of recyclable paper to a convenient location for rapid andeconomical pickup by a recycler.

[0009] In brief, the preferred container of this invention is in theshape of an elongated upright box with a bottom slightly larger in sizeand shape than a typical newspaper folded in half. The containerincludes a front, which is substantially open, and a bottom, two sidesand a back, which are substantially closed. A pair of rotatable wheelsare mounted on the lower end of the container, which has a base adaptedto rest on a substantially horizontal supporting surface, such as afloor. The open front of the container permits the easy stacking ofhorizontal sheets of paper to any convenient height, say 3 to 7 feet,and also permits quick and easy inspection of the stack of paper sheetsin the box to ascertain that the stack is not contaminated withnon-paper material. Thus, a stack of uncontaminated recyclable paperweighing 200 or more pounds can be stored, even by the typicalresidential dweller. Once the container is substantially full, it caneasily be tilted to be supported only by the wheels, and thereafterrolled to an appropriate location, say curbside, for pickup by arecycler. Preferably, the containers of this invention include liftingmeans which make it possible for either a fully automatic orsemi-automatic recycle truck to lift and invert the container to dumpthe stack of paper into the collection truck. The container is thenreturned to the curbside position for reuse.

[0010] In one form of the invention, the open front of the containerincludes inwardly extending lips which are perpendicular to thesidewalls to confine the stack of papers in the container as it istilted or otherwise moved. Preferably, the horizontal distance betweenthe inner edges of the lips is slightly less than the width of the stackwithin the container. This facilitates stacking sheets of paper in ahorizontal orientation and complete inspection of the stack forunacceptable contaminants. It also promotes easy dumping of the stackwhen the container is inverted.

[0011] In another form of the invention, the container bottom slopesdownwardly and away from the open front of the container when thecontainer base rests on a horizontal surface. This promotes formation ofa stable stack which rests securely against the back of the container.In the preferred form, the bottom of the container is at an anglebetween about 2° and about 12° from horizontal when the container baserests on a horizontal support.

[0012] In another form of the invention, the back wall of the containerslopes upwardly and away from the open face of the container at an anglebetween about 2° and about 12° from vertical when the container baserests on a substantially horizontal support. This also promotesformation of a stable stack which rests firmly against the back of thecontainer.

[0013] To facilitate tilting the container to rest only on the wheels, astep plate is mounted on the bottom of the container front to extendaway from the container in a direction transverse to the axis of therotation of the wheels, which can be mounted either at the front or theback of the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container with wheels mounted atthe open front;

[0015]FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the back of the container shownin FIG. 1;

[0016]FIG. 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

[0017]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a container with wheels mounted atthe back;

[0018]FIG. 5 is a view of the back of the container shown in FIG. 4;

[0019]FIG. 6 is a view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, container 10 includes asubstantially horizontal bottom wall 12, identical upright and parallelsidewalls 14, and an upwardly extending back wall 16. The rear edge ofthe bottom wall is secured along a horizontal line to a lower part ofthe back wall. Each side edge of the bottom wall is each secured to alower portion of a respective side wall.

[0021] A pair of rotatable wheels 18 are mounted on opposite ends of ahorizontal axle 20 secured through the forward lower portions of thesidewalls 14 just below the container bottom 12. A substantiallyhorizontal step plate 22 is secured to the underside of the front edgeof the bottom wall to provide a step to facilitate tilting the containeras described below. The step plate is almost the same width as thebottom wall, and extends three to five inches forward of the front edgeof the bottom wall.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, a separate upright and elongated lip 24 issecured to the forward edge of each side plate 14 and bottom plate 12 toextend almost to the top of the container. The lips also extend inwardlya relatively short distance toward each other so the front of thecontainer is still left substantially open. This facilitates forming astack 26 of recyclable paper, such as newspapers, in the container. Thehorizontal distance between the inner edges of the lips is slightly lessthan the width of the stack. This prevents the stack from falling out ofthe container as the container is moved to transport the stack asdescribed below.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, each side wall is in the shape of a trapezoidwith parallel top and bottom edges, and which tapers outwardly from topto bottom. The lower edges of the sidewalls and the wheels 18 form abase 26 adapted to rest on a flat horizontal supporting surface 28. Thelower edge of the back wall 16, which is an elongated upwardly extendingrectangle, is coterminous with the lower edges of the side plates, andalso forms part of the base 26. The back wall 16 extends upwardly awayfrom the front of the container at a slight angle to vertical when thecontainer base rests on the supporting surfaces 28 as shown in FIG. 3.The opposite edges of the back wall are each secured to the innersurfaces of the rear portion of a respective side wall. The bottom 12 ofthe container slopes gently downwardly away from the open face of thecontainer when the container is at the rest position shown in FIG. 3.The angle at which the bottom slopes relative to horizontal when thecontainer is in the rest position as shown in FIGS. 1-3 can be anysuitable amount. Good results are obtained when the bottom slopesbetween about 2° and about 12° relative to horizontal with the containerin the rest position shown in FIG. 3. The back wall preferably slopesfrom vertical at an angle between about 2° and about 12° when thecontainer is at rest as shown in FIG. 3. Conveniently, the bottom wall12 is substantially perpendicular to the back wall 16. In the preferredembodiment, both the bottom wall 12 and the back wall 16 slope slightlyas shown in FIG. 3 because this facilitates easy formation of a stablestack of a large amount of recyclable paper when the container is in therest position shown in FIG. 3. However, the container could have ahorizontal bottom wall with a sloping back wall, or a sloping bottomwall with a vertical back wall, or the bottom wall could be horizontaland the back wall vertical. With the latter arrangement, the lips retainthe stack in the container as it is tilted and rolled from one locationto another as described below. With either the bottom wall or the backwall sloping as shown in FIG. 3, the retaining lips may be omitted,although they are preferred because of the extra security they provideduring formation and transportation of the stack.

[0024] The phantom line 30 shown in FIG. 1 indicates the line alongwhich one side edge of the back wall is secured to the inner face of aside wall.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a separate triangle-shaped plate 32 issecured to the forward edge of the upper end of each side plate 14 toprovide outwardly extending parallel brackets 34. An elongatedhorizontal tubular handle 36 extends through the upper and outer ends ofthe brackets, and is secured to them by a respective nut 38 threadedonto each end of the handle. As shown in FIG. 3, the brackets 34 supportthe handle at a substantial distance, say three to eight inches in frontof the forward edges of the sidewalls, to facilitate tilting and dumpingthe stack of paper when the container is inverted as described below.

[0026] Separate outwardly extending and horizontal lifting bars 40secured to the exterior and midpoint of each side wall providehorizontal and downwardly facing shoulders 42 to receive fully automatedlifting arms (not shown) used by some refuse trucks to pick up andinvert conventional trash containers. Each lifting bar extends from thefront to the rear edge of its respective side wall.

[0027] A pair of horizontal and vertically spaced tubular lifting rods44 extend through the rear portions of the sidewalls 14 to the rear ofthe back wall 16, and are secured in place by nuts 46 threaded on therespective ends of the lifting rods. The vertical space between thelifting rods is set to receive semi-automated lifting forks (not shown)employed by some refuse trucks to pick up, invert, and dump contentsfrom conventional containers.

[0028] The container shown in FIGS. 1-3 is used by placing sheets (say,newspapers folded in half) of recyclable paper with the major planes ofthe sheets disposed horizontally to form the stack 26 shown in FIGS. 1and 3. The relatively wide open structure of the front of the containermakes it easy to form the stack of paper sheets, and the sloping bottomand back walls of the container promote the formation of a stable stackwhich slopes slightly away from the open front of the container, andrests securely against the back wall.

[0029] Once the container is suitably filled, say to a height of 3 to 6feet, it holds a stack of paper weighing up to 150 to 300 pounds. Evenso, the container with the heavy load is easily moved to a paper pickuppoint, say at the curbside of a residence served by a pickup service forrecyclable paper, by placing one foot on the step plate 22, and pullingthe handle 36 to lift the rear of the container out of contact with thesupporting surface. Thereafter, the container is rolled to the desiredpickup point, where it can be picked up either fully orsemi-automatically and inverted over a collection truck to dump thestack from the container. The high position of the handle facilitatestilting the container, and the location of the handle 36 away from thecontainer opening facilitates dumping. The lips 24 on the front of thecontainer ensure that the stack, which is wider than the opening betweenthe lips, cannot slide from the container when it is tilted.

[0030] The open front of the container makes it easy for the collectorof the paper to inspect the entire stack quickly to ensure that it isnot contaminated with unacceptable refuse. If it is, the collector candecline to accept the stack. This encourages the user of the containerto be sure that the stack of papers is uncontaminated. Moreover, therelatively large stack of papers in the container provides an economicalload for the collector, thus encouraging recycling of the paper.

[0031] The container is constructed of metal parts, which can easily bewelded together. Alternatively, it is molded integrally from anysuitable plastic.

[0032] The container can have any suitable dimensions. For example, theback wall can be 40 to 60 inches high, and between about 14 and about 18inches wide. The side walls are about the same height as the back wall,and are between 12 and 18 inches from front to back. The bottom wall isof appropriate size to accommodate the side and back walls. Thehorizontal spacing between the retaining lips at the front of thecontainer should be the maximum possible to facilitate loading of papersin the container and dumping a stack of papers from the container.However, the spacing should not be so large as to permit the stack toslide from the container as it is tilted and moved. Ordinarily,horizontal spacing between about 8 inches and about 12 inches issuitable for most types of newspapers, and the like. The horizontalwidth of the lips can be between about 2 inches and about 3½ inches. Thewheels can be of any suitable size. Larger wheels make the containereasier to tilt and handle, but require more space. Wheels with diametersbetween about 3 inches and about 10 inches are satisfactory for mostpurposes.

[0033]FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show an alternate embodiment of the invention. Acontainer 60 includes a pair of vertical identical sidewalls 62 and anupwardly extending back wall 64 secured at opposite edges to rearportions of the sidewalls. A substantially horizontal bottom wall 66 issecured at opposite edges to the lower edges of the side walls, and atits rear edge to a lower part of the back wall.

[0034] A separate inwardly extending lip 68 is secured to the lowerportion of the front edge of each side wall to restrain a stack 70 ofhorizontal sheets 72 or recyclable paper. As with the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-3, the horizontal distance between the inner edges of the lips68 is less than the width of the stack. Preferably, the horizontaldistance between the inner edges of the lips is between about 70% andabout 95% of that between the inner faces of the side walls.

[0035] A pair of rotatable wheels 74 are mounted on opposite ends of ahorizontal axle 76 journaled through the lower rear portions of thesidewalls 62, which each are of a trapezoidal shape with parallel topand bottom edges 80 and 82, respectively. As shown best in FIG. 6, thelower edge of each side plate is slightly longer than the upper edge.The back wall 64 extends at a slight angle upwardly and away from thefront of the container. Phantom line 88 shows the position of one edgeof the back wall against a side wall of the container. The bottom wallextends downwardly and away from the front of the container so thebottom and back walls are mutually perpendicular. An upwardly openingnotch 84 in the upper edge of the central portion of the back wallfacilitates gripping a horizontal handle 86, which is welded to theupper edge of the back wall across the notch 84.

[0036] The container of FIGS. 4-6 is used in a manner similar to thatfor the container FIGS. 1-3. After papers are stacked to a suitableheight, the container is tilted by placing one foot on the axle 76, andpulling the handle 86 to lift the forward edge of the container so it issupported only by the wheels. The container is then rolled to a desiredlocation for pickup and dumping.

[0037] In an alternate embodiment, the wheels need not be mounted on thecontainer. Instead, the wheels can be on a separate dolly with aplatform which fits under the container. With such an arrangement, thedolly platform is preferably placed under the container before it isfully loaded with the paper.

[0038] One advantage of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4-6 is that lipsare not required to retain the stack of papers as the container istilted to be supported only on the wheels. Accordingly, the lips couldbe omitted, except they provide additional security as the container isrolled and brought to a stop at the pickup location. An advantage of theembodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3 is that it is easily stored with the backwall against the wall of a room, garage, or the like, leaving the openfront of the container easily accessible for loading paper sheets toform the stack. However, in either embodiment, the container provides aneasy way to accumulate a relatively large amount of recyclable paper ina dense stack which can be quickly inspected to ensure that it isuncontaminated. This promotes cost-efficient recycling of paper.

We claim:
 1. A container for storing a stack of substantially horizontalsheets, the container comprising a bottom, a front, a back, and twosides, means defining a base at the bottom of the container, the basebeing adapted to rest on a substantially horizontal support, a pair ofupright sidewalls spaced from each other and secured to the base, abottom wall, an upwardly extending back wall disposed between thesidewalls, the front of the container being substantially open tofacilitate loading sheets in the container with the sheets beinggenerally horizontal to form a stack of sheets in the container, and tofacilitate inspection of the stack for any contaminants in it, separateinwardly extending retaining means at the front edge of each side wall,the horizontal distance between the two retaining means being less thanthe width of the sheets in the stack, and wheels mounted on thecontainer at its bottom so the container can be tilted out of contactwith the support and rolled on the wheels to transport the stack ofsheets in the container.
 2. A container for storing a stack ofsubstantially horizontal sheets, the container comprising a bottom, afront, a back, and two sides, means defining a base at the bottom of thecontainer, the base being adapted to rest on a substantially horizontalsupport, a pair of upright sidewalls spaced from each other and securedto the base, a bottom wall, an upwardly extending back wall disposedbetween the sidewalls, the front of the container being substantiallyopen to facilitate loading sheets in the container with the sheets beinggenerally horizontal to form a stack of sheets in the container, and tofacilitate inspection of the stack for any contaminants in it, the backwall extending upwardly and away from the front of the container to forma support for the stack inclined at an angle to vertical when the baseof the container rests on the horizontal support, and wheels mounted onthe container at its bottom so the container can be tilted out ofcontact with the support and rolled on the wheels to transport the stackof sheets in the container.
 3. A container for storing a stack ofsubstantially horizontal sheets, the container comprising a bottom, afront, a back, and two sides, means defining a base at the bottom of thecontainer, the base being adapted to rest on a substantially horizontalsupport, a pair of upright sidewalls spaced from each other and securedto the base, a bottom wall at the bottom of the container and disposedbetween the two sidewalls, the bottom wall sloping downwardly from thefront to the back of the container when the base of the container restson the horizontal support, an upwardly extending back wall disposedbetween the sidewalls, the front of the container being substantiallyopen to facilitate loading sheets in the container with the sheets beinggenerally horizontal to form a stack of sheets in the container, and tofacilitate inspection of the stack for any contaminants in it, andwheels mounted on the container at its bottom so the container can betilted out of contact with the support and rolled on the wheels totransport the stack of sheets in the container.
 4. A container accordingto claim 1 , in which the back wall extends upwardly and away from thefront of the container to form a support for the stack inclined at anangle to vertical when the base of the container rests on the horizontalsupport.
 5. A container according to claim 1 , in which the bottom wallslopes downwardly away from the front of the container when the base ofthe container rests on the horizontal support.
 6. A container accordingto claim 5 , in which the back wall extends upwardly and away from thefront of the container to form a support for the stack inclined at anangle to the vertical when the base of the container rests on thehorizontal support.
 7. A container according to claim 2 , in which thebottom wall slopes downwardly away from the front when the containerrests on the horizontal support.
 8. A container according to claims 2,4, 6 or 7, in which the back wall slopes at an angle to vertical betweenabout 2° and about 12°.
 9. A container according to claims 3, 5, 6 or 7,in which the bottom wall slopes at an angle to horizontal between about2° and about 12°.
 10. A container according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7, in which the wheels rotate about an axis nearer to the open front ofthe container than to the back wall.
 11. A container according to claims1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, in which the wheels rotate about an axisnearer to the back wall of the container than to the front of thecontainer.
 12. A container according to claim 10 , which includes anforwardly extending step plate at the front of the lower portion of thecontainer to facilitate tilting the container to rest only on thewheels.
 13. A container according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7,which includes lifting means on the exterior of the container tofacilitate automatic pickup, inverting and dumping the container.
 14. Acontainer according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 which includesbracket means mounted on an upper portion of the container, and asubstantially horizontal handle secured to the bracket means at an upperportion of the container and disposed forwardly away from the containerto facilitate dumping the stack of horizontal sheets when the containeris inverted.